I meant to do this yesterday, but I slept so late that I was shocked to look at the clock when I finally opened my eyes. Let’s just say that there was not much morning left. It’s too bad that we all can’t sleep when our body needs it. There’s something wrong with this system. For me, that means a lot longer than most people. I’ve always been that way, but as I’ve gotten older and creakier I toss and turn a lot and I think that it eats into my total time asleep.
After I got up, I went straight to the loom and worked on the tapestry diary for the rest of the week. Today I think I’ll weave 2018 into this block. I wanted to acknowledge the “bombogenesis” although the most we got from it was a dusting of snow and bitter cold. That is supposed to lift tomorrow, thank God. I generally don’t mind cold, but I worry about the animals and perennial plants. I’d worry about the homeless here, but in our city they do have places to go, thank God.
The kitties like to sit on the heating vent under the loom.
Things are a bit cramped here in the studio. For the tapestry diary I’m using this frame loom that I had warped some time ago to take to the lake. I prop it up in front of Cathedral on the Shannock loom with a piece of mat board behind it. I plan to sell the Schacht Baby Wolf loom beside it. I also have a Macomber 40″ add-a harness loom with 4 harnesses currently. I have yet to weave anything on it, but my plan was to weave a big doubleweave rag rug on it. I started measuring warp for the project three years ago, but the kittens were too interested and then my neck and shoulders went wonky for two years. I hope to get back to that. I may switch over to weaving tapestry on it and sell the Shannock also.
Yesterday afternoon we went to an annual White Elephant party that my friends give each year, and we both came home with something we were happy with. I got an insulated grocery bag and Sandy got a bendable wooden artist’s model. I hope that he will get back to painting again one day. He clearly has talent but he doesn’t have the patience for practice – he wants to be great right away.
I need to go put beef stew in the crockpot. One of the things that I’m letting go this year (or trying to) is the guilt I feel about not wanting to cook. I simply have higher priorities these days. It’s not that I have let go of the belief that whole organic and local foods are important. I do want to get my food gardening to a higher level this coming year. But the fact remains that I waste a lot of fresh food because I put off cooking at the end of the day, and I want to do other things when I’m not at work. So I’ll be concentrating on buying easily prepared and more healthy prepared foods to eat in the coming year, and maybe eating out more often. I’ve reached the point where I honestly do not want to buy my food from anywhere but the farmer’s market, the co-op, and sometimes Costco, and I’m still very picky about the origin and quality of my food.
At the same time, I keep bookmarking recipes in the New York Times for things like bread so the habit in my mind remains.
We do have an enormous choice of good sauces to pick from for quick easy meals. Some that I’ve been pleased with are curry and masala sauces from Maya Kaimel. Quick stirfry of chicken and/or veggies, pour this sauce over, make some rice, and presto, a great meal.
I am dead serious about not buying any clothes, books, or art supplies this year. I’m adding seeds to that list. I’ve already bought more than I have room to plant. I have enough tapestry yarn to last me for the rest of my life, thanks to Mama’s life insurance money.
I joined Audible.com for a free trial and chose “Fire and Fury” for one of the free selections, and to balance that out, Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart.” I listened to the first one for a little while yesterday. I mainly wanted to add to the demand for the book, because I know that numbers drive Twitler into a tantrum, but of course, I’m not buying it. I’ll probably cancel the Audible after the free trial. I know where to get audiobooks free.
Okay, time to weave. We have another “Old Christmas” party to go to this afternoon.
slowly she turned 